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Dom Flemons - 'Black Cowboys'
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Dom Flemons presents 'Black Cowboys' pays tribute to the music, culture, and the complex history of the golden era of the Wild West. In this single volume of music, the first of its kind, Flemons explores and re-analyzes this important part of our American identity. The songs and poems featured on the album take the listener on an illuminating journey from the trails to the rails of the Old West. This century-old story follows the footsteps of the thousands of African American pioneers who helped build the United States of America.

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Anna & Elizabeth - 'The Invisible Comes to Us'
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Anna & Elizabeth's 'The Invisible Comes to Us' taps into their imagination-fueled arsenal to present an extraordinary work of unique, genre-bending storytelling and sonic exploration. Lauded by many well-known musicians and widely loved for their moving minimalist arrangements, Anna & Elizabeth's partnership pioneers new ways of presenting old songs and stories to modern audiences. Co-producer Benjamin Lazar Davis (Cuddle Magic) and legendary avant-rock drummer Jim White (The Dirty Three, Xylouris White) assist in the duo's vision of breathing life and new perspective into the crackling and disintegrating recordings and artifacts of the past. Rarely does an album based on traditional folk music resonate so strongly in modern times.

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Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz - 'Tú eres mi flor: Songs for Children en Español'
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'Tú eres mi flor' is a sunny collection of songs sung in Spanish by beloved children's artists Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz. Featuring many well-known American folk songs that have been adapted for the enjoyment of both Spanish and English speaking children, these songs are filled with simple, repeated imagery, ideal for learning vocabulary; they're also fun and easy to sing! Universal themes of harmony, compassion, gratitude, and kindness underscore the duo's firm belief that learning each other's languages and songs is a powerful way to come together.

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Rahim AlHaj - 'One Sky'
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'One Sky 'is oud virtuoso and composer Rahim Alhaj's crucial artistic appeal to each of us: make a positive difference--in whatever way we can--towards a better world. As an Iraqi immigrant to the United States, Rahim AlHaj uses his musical talents to spread hope and peace. AlHaj joins Iranian sant?r player Sourena Sefati and Palestinian-American percussionist Issa Malluf in a sonic statement of friendship, understanding, and an acknowledgement of humanity's oneness as we all try to live in peace under the same sky.

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Los Texmaniacs - 'Cruzando Borders'
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Tejano conjunto Los Texmaniacs was born to cross borders of all kinds--between past and present, traditional and creative, Spanish and English, country and Tejano, Texas and Mexico. 'Cruzando Borders' embraces all of these, with ballads of the border, instrumental pearls of the past, and signature songs popularized by the Texas Tornados when Texmaniacs leader Max Baca toured with them. Guest performances by Lyle Lovett on Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" and country singer Rick Treviño on his own "I Am a Mexican" round out this tribute to the tragedies, triumphs, hopes, and humor of Mexican American life along the border.

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Barbara Dane - 'Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs'
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'Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs' is a 2 CD retrospective reflects over 60 years of Barbara Dane's eclectic musical history in folk, blues and jazz. The 38 tracks include 14 never-before-released recordings, featuring collaborations with Lightin' Hopkins, the Chambers Brothers, Doc Watson, Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, Art Hodes, and more. The extensive liner notes give insight into Dane's singular trajectory as an outspoken and indomitable artist who, unwilling to make the compromises demanded by the music business, struck out on her own path, singing for peace and social justice.

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'Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey'
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John Duffey's influence on bluegrass cannot be overstated. His contributions to legendary bands The Country Gentlemen and The Seldom Scene helped transform the genre from a regional Appalachian music to a sophisticated, urban sound, resulting in a legion of new fans the world over. On Epilogue, the bluegrass music community comes together to create a marvelously fitting tribute to "the father of modern bluegrass." Sam Bush, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, Bruce Molsky, Tim O'Brien, Don Rigsby, and so many more--it's a rare and special all-star cast. Their eagerness and passion to record the album attest to how profoundly Duffey impacted them and countless other musicians today.

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ABOUT SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS RECORDINGS:
Going into its 70th year, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the "National Museum of Sound," makes available close to 60,000 tracks in physical and digital format as the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian, with a reach of 80 million people per year. A division of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the non-profit label is dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among people through the documentation, preservation, production and dissemination of sound. Its mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document "people's music" from around the world. For more information about Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, visit folkways.si.edu.

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